Sports

Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler is taking a grass roots approach in his “Be a Buddy not a Bully” campaign against bullying. His campaign is striving to bring professionals, teachers, parents and families together to discuss, in an open microphone format, the social problems that derive from bullying in communities, churches and schools today.

Butler will be making an appearance at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be signing autographs and taking pictures to raise money for this foundation.

There is no fee, but donations are welcomed and suggested, beginning at $5. Butler will have 8×10 photos, cookbooks and Lambeau Leap canvases available as well.

In the last six months, Butler has traveled to schools and churches throughout Wisconsin to sit down with people who are recipients of bullying tactics and those that have performed behaviors of a bullying nature.

His approach has been to bring awareness to the problem, to have an open environment for these individuals to face each other in a non-confrontational environment and to find resolution that is positive moving forward. His success in this approach has led him to want to work with other organizations, schools, churches and professionals to bring a more global awareness to this social problem.

The “Be a Buddy not a Bully” campaign would like to reach over 20 schools their first year and interview over 100 students while striving to reach 500 students within three years.

Butler’s approach is to meet with the students, faculty, parents and community in a “game show” atmosphere that allows the students to have a voice and figure out this growing social problem. The campaign will develop a $5,000.00 scholarship fund for each school that is chosen to participate. Butler also hopes this will help the parents, professionals and the faculty expose those students or community members, more promptly, who suffer in silence through depression, self mutilation or harming of one self, and through non-verbal bullying.

The approach allows the kids to learn to be leaders and not followers.

“This problem cannot be ignored any longer and it is our goal to provide a place for these kids to feel free to open up about the problem and be a leader in helping us solve this issue,” Butler said.

Butler is working with various organizations, companies and individuals to raise money to film a documentary on the effects of this social problem in our communities, society and families. Butler has funded a portion of the money needed and is working diligently to raise nearly $300,000 to complete the documentary.

If you or your company would like to contribute to the “Be a Buddy not a Bully” campaign please go to leroybutlerinc.com for more information on the Kick Starter website or to inquire more information.

GREEN BAY (WITI) — The Green Bay Packers have signed QB Seneca Wallace, released QB B.J. Coleman, and signed six players to the practice squad.

Wallace, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound 10th-year player out of Iowa State, was drafted by Seattle in the fourth round (No. 110 overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played for the Seahawks for seven seasons (2003-09) and the Cleveland Browns for two seasons (2010-11). Wallace has played in 62 career games with 21 starts and has completed 452 of 764 passes (59.2 percent) for 4,808 yards and 31 TDs with and 18 INTs for a 81.3 passer rating. He was with the Browns during the 2012 preseason and spent time with New Orleans and San Francisco during the 2013 preseason. Wallace will wear No. 9 for the Packers.

Collins, a 6-foot-3, 301-pound rookie out of Southern Methodist, entered the NFL as a non-drafted free agent with the Houston Texans, appearing in two of the team’s preseason contests in 2013. He started 20 games during his collegiate career and earned second-team All-Conference USA honors as a senior in 2012. Collins will wear No. 68 for the Packers.

Tolzien (toll-ZEEN), a 6-foot-2, 213-pound third-year player out of the University of Wisconsin, entered the league as a non-drafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers in 2011. Following the 2011 preseason, he was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco 49ers, where he was a member of the 53-man roster for both the 2011 and 2012 seasons, but did not appear in a game. Tolzien will wear No. 16 for the Packers.

The other four signees to the practice squad were with the Packers during the 2013 preseason.

Any blow to the head, regardless of the force of impact, could lead to something minor like a headache or something major like death.

When that blow disrupts the normal cellular activity in the brain, that is what is called a concussion.

Concussions happen in contact sports such as boxing, soccer, wrestling and hockey, but in most cases, it happens in football.

And the subject of concussion awareness and its short and long-term effects was the topic of discussion in a two-part series that brought some light to a serious medical issue.

Inside the club level suites Skyy Lounge at Miller Park recently, a couple of hundred people attended the three-hour information seminar on sport-related concussions which included remarks from two medical concussion experts, a former Marquette male cheerleader and former Green Bay Packer running back Dorsey Levens.

Levens, like thousands of youths and adults who play football, knows the dangers of suffering from headaches and feeling dizzy or lightheaded.

But those who play football know the risks in a sport that they volunteer to play.

It has been documented that a football- related concussion could lead to memory loss as players get older or someone taking his own life because it ends the suffering.

An ex-football player in his mid-20s told Levens that his “head hurts all the time. I can’t eat. I can’t think. I can’t sleep.

And I can’t afford to get healthy. And if I can’t get healthy, I’ll take care of it.” That’s the way ex-NFL players Junior Seau and Dave Duerson chose to take care of their miseries.

Neither player shot themselves in the head because it was important to them that their brains get examined to analyze how thousands of repeated contacts over the years going back to youth football could lead to post-concussion issues that included mood swings, erratic behavior and sitting in a dark room to avoid flashes of bright light that could leave them in a dizzying state.

Levens pointed out that former teammate, Packers fullback William Henderson, looked discombobulated in games.

“I don’t know how many times he would come back to the huddle with this look in his eyes,” he said. “And he’s blinking, and he’s trying to get it together.

“And it’s like, ‘C’mon big fella, I need you (to block for me).’ And about once every other game, William would go the wrong way (blocking on a running play). Brett (Favre) would always say, ‘You know that William went the wrong way.’ ”

Henderson, according to Levens, is still dealing with post-concussion issues.

Levens helped produce a film documentary, “Bell Rung,” in which he talked to former players about their experiences with concussions. “I learned how to document concussions in the NFL,” Levens said.

“When you lose track, you don’t think about it. That’s part of the game growing up. You get your bell rung, you get back in the game and that’s it.”

Everyone who’s associated with contact sports, including parents of athletes, must be aware of the concussion symptoms and have a plan in place to deal with it.

Dr. Michael McCrea, Professor and Director of the Brain Injury Research Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, estimated that there are about 3.8 million concussions every year from contact and collision sports.

In the past, a football player who got his bell wrong and felt dizzy sat out for a while and asked to go back in the game.

Now when a football player gets dinged, he isn’t allowed to return to action for the rest of that day and up to two weeks later until all symptoms of a concussion are gone.

After that athlete passes a series of concussion tests and get the medical clearance, he or she can resume competition.

In a recent study, according to McCrea, more than half of the athletes who suffered a concussion during competition (64%) took up to a week to recover from their symptoms. A complete recovery takes about 10 days from the impact of the blow.

McCrea knows how bad a high school football player wants to play in the next game after having his bell rung in a previous game.

He gives that player a 10-day layoff, which may include skipping the next game.

If that player ignores the 10-day order and convince the coach to let him play before the end of the grace period and he has another setback, then the layoff time could be up to 7 or 8 weeks, which ends the season for that player. Coaches, athletic trainers and parents should check for telltale signs of an athlete who leaves the playing area after a hit to the head.

They have to look for a dazed look, a behavioral change and a slow response to any questions they ask him/her, said Kevin Walter, Associate Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a medical advisor to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

That athlete with a concussion symptom is removed right away and should be observed for changes in normal habits and routines.

The kid who gets hit from helmet-to-helmet contact or gets driven to the ground head first on a tackle and lies on the ground for a minute because he got the wind knocked out of him gets up, walks to the sideline and calls it a night.

But he comes the following Tuesday, ready to practice so he can play in the next game the following Friday.

A 100-mile run/walk to raise awareness and funds for autism will be taking place July 28 at Discovery World Museum, 500 North Harbor Drive.

The event is sponsored by Athletes for Autism Foundation (A4A), an organization that offers fitness courses and nutrition guidance to autistic children and their families. They also advocate for and support autistic individuals in schools, workplaces and communities.

Ron Thompson, CEO and Founder of A4A started the organization as a way to honor the memory of his daughter Deanna Thompson, who was killed in a 2009 auto accident by a drunk driver.

Thompson says obesity and diabetes is a problem for many autistic children. Parents compensate for their struggle with their children’s autism by feeding them fast food, thinking they’re offering their children a comfort zone through food.

‘We’re helping change the lives of autistic children just through exercise and nutrition,” Thompson said proudly.

The run will feature Yahminah McIntosh, the mother of an autistic son. She is running and walking from Milwaukee to Madison August 2-4.

For the first two days, McIntosh will be running 33 miles daily. But on the last day she will run 34 miles.

For a normal marathon runner a three-day run would be a piece of cake. But for McIntosh it’s anything but. She has Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a long-term autoimmune disorder that may affect the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, and other organs. The underlying cause of autoimmune diseases is not fully known. SLE is much more common in women than men. It may occur at any age, but appears most often in people between the ages of 10 and 50. African Americans and Asians are affected more often than people from other races.

“My doctor told me I would stop walking at 30,” McIntosh said. Not only is she 38 and walking, but running.

McIntosh is not just an international marathon runner but an inspirational writer, poet, motivational speaker, mentor, minister, artist, entrepreneur, radio host, and a lupus and autism advocate. She is the founder of SURVIVAH, The Judaism Shalom Project, and People Having a Mutual Love for Inspiration (P.H.A.M.L.I.).

SURVIVAH is an organization with a mission to inspire, celebrate and raise awareness and meet the needs of individuals affected by trauma, domestic violence, suicide, bullying and health issues.

The Judaism Shalom Project is a lecture and resource based collective that raises awareness, shares resources, educates and empowers families affected by autism, with hopes of creating a more helpful and informed community.

P.H.A.M.L.I. is a movement with a divine purpose to motivate, empower, educate and unite ALL people without exclusion.

McIntosh’s goal is to aid in changing the world one heart and mind at a time.

“The only way that each one can teach one, is if were willing to step outside of ourselves to reach one,” McIntosh said.

Milwaukee sports fans. We have a problem on two fronts. One problem is how to get a team to play for pride without the players looking over their shoulders and wondering who will still be on the roster at the end of the season and the other is how to inject a positive spin on a frustrated pro basketball player.

Let’s start with the Milwaukee Brewers. We know that they are sitting in last place in the National League Central Division behind the Chicago Cubs. It doesn’t look at this point that the Crew will catch anybody in their division. Too bad, so sad.

There will be no second half miracle for the Brewers as it was last year. With the extra wild card spot being added for the American and National Leagues in 2012, it was the motivation for several teams in the AL and NL to compete for that last spot, which is a one-game playoff against the other wild card team, but hey, it’s still considered the playoffs.

In 2012, the Brewers took a 40-45 record into the all-star break. They won four of their first 10 games after the break and followed that with a 7-game losing streak. On August 19, pitcher Randy Wolf lost his 10th game of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies at home. That defeat put the Brewers 12 games under .500. The team released Wolf a few days later.

With that extra wild card spot on the horizon, the shocker came out of nowhere for the Crew. The light bulb came on and they started playing some baseball. In the last two weeks of August, the team sported a 10-4 record. In the last month of September, they staggered across the finish line with a 19-11 mark. They were 31-15 from August 16 until the end of the season on October 3.

In a furious pace toward the end, the Brewers pulled themselves even with a 71-71 record on Sept. 11. They went a game over the .500 mark with a win and a 3-game sweep of Atlanta at Miller Park. After a loss to the New York Mets in the first game of a 3-game series at home that left the team with a 72-72 record, a six-game winning streak in the home stretch guaranteed a winning record at 83-79, just missing that last wild card spot in 2012.

This year, lots of enthusiasm and money spent to return the Brewers to respectability and another march to the playoffs was supposed to go according to plan, right? How’s that plan working now?

At the all-star break in 2013, the Brewers stared at a 38-56 mark. It was not the results the Crew was looking for. Now the question is whether the organization will trade some of their key veterans who are either injured at the moment or performing below expectations. If that’s the direction the Brewers are going, they better make a break for it before the trade deadline at the end of July.

We could say goodbye to Yovani Gallardo, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart and who knows what other players the Brewers can get rid of by then. It’s obvious that the team is going nowhere this year. It’s time to bring the young guys up from Triple-A and play them now. We can worry about what to do with Ryan Braun and his situation sometime next year when Major League Baseball looks to suspend him for his role in taking illegal substances.

Principal owner Mark Attanasio is pretending not to be in panic mode, but at the same time, his pocket is burning small holes. That $80-plus million payroll to put a good product on the field is looking bad right now. If Attanasio wants to cut his losses, he should let general manager Doug Melvin pull the trigger and cut ties with some of the longer-tenured guys that grew up with the organization. We shall see a newer and younger team next year. No one likes to bring up that word “rebuild” around here.

And no one wants to hear that word at the downtown headquarters of the Bradley Center regarding the Milwaukee Bucks. What is Brandon Jennings supposed to think when he’s left without the comfort blanket that was taken away from him?

Stripping that layer of protection leaves the point guard in the cold. Jennings rolled the dice to test the free agent market as a member of the restricted class. While navigating the waters in a life jacket and stretching out the life rafter to other teams looking for an established PG, Jennings probably was unaware that he was being shopped around.

Monta Ellis, the other starting guard for the Bucks last season, rejected the player option to stay with the team. Jennings waited for another team to match the Bucks’ $4.5 million offer. The Bucks went after guard Jeff Teague, another restricted free agent, who wanted to reunite here with new head coach Larry Drew, but Atlanta matched the deal from the Bucks to keep Teague there. Drew coached the Hawks last season.

Since the Bucks couldn’t get a disappointed Teague, they may have to live with Jennings for one more season. But what kind of guy would Jennings be? He was well aware that the team was trying to play hardball. And that security blanket we talked about, it makes the trust issue go right out the window.

Andrew Bogut, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Drew Gooden, Ellis, Mike Dunleavy and Samuel Dalembert are all gone. If Jennings stays, what kind of chemistry will he have with Coach Drew? Now Drew says that he’s a player’s coach, but if the team goes on a five-game losing streak next January and fall about three games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, will the patience be tested? Will the locker room get out of control if the team is playing rotten and the fans are on their case? Only time will tell.

The Brewers should play the youth and Jennings should play nice and stick around and there shall be peace and harmony with both teams in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired veteran guard Luke Ridnour (6-2, 175) as part of a three-team deal involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder, General Manager John Hammond announced today. The Bucks also received a 2014 second round draft pick from Minnesota (via the Los Angeles Lakers) and cash considerations from Oklahoma City as part of the trade, while the Thunder signed Kevin Martin to a contract and traded him to the Timberwolves along with cash considerations. Milwaukee sent the draft rights to 2003 second round pick Szymon Szewczyk (35th overall) to Oklahoma City to complete the deal. Ridnour, 32, started all 82 games for Minnesota last season and averaged 11.5 points, 3.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 30.2 minutes per game. The 10-year pro shot 45.3 percent from the floor, 31.1 percent from the three-point arc and 84.8 percent from the free throw line. Selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Ridnour played his first five NBA seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics. Prior to the 2008 season he was traded to Milwaukee where he played two seasons with the Bucks, including the 2009-10 campaign when he shot career-highs of 47.8 percent from the floor and 90.7 percent from the line. He signed a multi-year contract with the Timberwolves in 2010 and has played the last three seasons in Minnesota. Ridnour owns career averages of 10.0 points, 4.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 722 regular season games (479 starts).

Brewers diversity pointman charged with exposing the community to the Miller Park baseball experience

There are those who believe Thad McGrew has one of the best jobs in the city of Milwaukee.

McGrew gets to watch Major League Baseball players perfect their craft on a regular basis. His job allows him to attend Milwaukee Brewers baseball games for free.

And he gets to mingle with Milwaukee Brewers’ fans 81 times a year, including fans who make up a who’s who of the civic, political and entertainment worlds.

But McGrew doesn’t look at his job through those rose colored prisms, although he feels privileged to hold the position as Manager of Emerging Markets for the Milwaukee Brewers.

One of the highpoints, he’ll tell you, is introducing prospective new fans to his world of professional sports.

He particularly enjoys exposing first time visitors, especially impressionable youth, to Miller Park for the first time; watching the smiles that explode across their faces or that glint in their eyes when they witness their first homerun.

“Essentially, my primary responsibility is to increase diversity in our fan base. It’s consistent with what the entire league is doing–to improve diversity; it’s part of a league-wide initiative both on and off the field.”

McGrew has been with the Brewers for six years. He was chosen after a national search and brought with him experience in marketing and a strong reputation for building cultural bridges.

His mission with the Brewers is simple: Reestablish the minority fan base that has seemingly dwindled since the heyday of legendary former Brewers Manager George Bamberger the Brewers’ team he led that was affectionately known as, “Bambi’s Brewers.”

Upon his hiring, McGrew found himself challenged and his curiosity peaked by the relatively small Black fan base. His research revealed Milwaukee once hosted a large and enthusiastic Black fan base. But it dwindled a dozen years ago.

There are a myriad of reasons why professional baseball’s Black fan base has dwindled in Milwaukee and nationally the last 20 years.

But the pendulum is slowly moving back towards the positive side, with McGrew and his counterparts throughout baseball giving it an extra nudge.

The first project on McGrew’s “to-do” list was upgrade the team’s social marketing merchanism to address changing local demographics.

McGrew is the first to admit his task has been a little easier because of the Brewers’ on-field success in the last few years, along with the fact Miller Park is considered among the league’s premiere facilities. The retractable-roof stadium offers amenities seldom seen in a ballpark, including a children’s area, a rock climbing wall (which is new this year) and a dozen fine eateries.

And it doesn’t hurt that the Brewers have garnered national attention for investing in and promoting the historical achievements of the old Negro Leagues.

A Negro League “Wall of Fame” at the old County Stadium has morphed into a major exhibit (which is housed at Holy Redeemer Institutional COGIC), and an annual baseball game which pits the Brewers against a National League team adorned in the uniforms of the Negro League team from their respective city.

The Brewers don the uniforms of the Milwaukee Bears, a short-lived Negro League franchise that, nonetheless, made its mark here.

Since it’s introduction, the annual Negro League Tribute game has become a major social event for the Black community.

The Brewers work closely with former Negro League player and Milwaukee native Dennis Biddle, and Holy Redeemer, to ensure the success of the weekend tribute, which includes a tailgate party, the ball game, and the enshrinement of two former Negro Leaguers at Holy Redeemer’s Athletic Conference Center.

After the ball game, the uniform jerseys worn by the Brewers are auctioned online with the proceeds going towards a special fund for retired Negro Leaguers. This year’s game will be held on July 20.

“The tribute game adds an extra educational element to the world of baseball here in Milwaukee,” Mc- Grew noted. “We get the chance to introduce Negro Leaguers to the community; to connect (the community) to history. We factored in a tailgate event with entertainment and food that makes it a unique experience.”

But Thad’s efforts are not limited to that one event. His goal is a fill the seats with minority fans on a regular basis.

“Milwaukee’s demographics offer a great opportunity to expand our minority fan base. When you can go to Milwaukee’s urban community you’ll see an ocean of Brewers’ memorabilia, from hats to tee shirts.”

That fan base is growing by leaps and bounds, McGrew said. “But we want to move beyond just the recognition, we want to get them down here to the stadium, let them see what we offer.”

The “Milwaukee Brewers/Miller Park Experience” is the preeminent family outing, and it’s value-added at so many levels, he explained.

The Brewers are offering a variety of ticket packages this year with the expressed intent of introducing new fans to the stadium. The packages include a game and tailgating package that is an exceptional value.

Several Black organizations and churches took advantage of similar opportunities last year, and most are seeking to replicate the experience this year.

For example, congregants from Christ the King Church are still talking about their unique experience.

Last season, members arrived early for a tailgate party in the Klement’s Sausage Haus, where they enjoyed food, music and fun in the family friendly environment. Later, they filled a section of the stadium where their loud cheers and laughter resonated throughout the ballpark.

Brewer Shortstop Jean Segura is mobbed by his teammates after his game winning hit against the Philadelphia Phillies during the teams last homestand at Miller Park. So far this season Segura has been one of the few bright spots in a rough season for the team so far. (Photo by Yvonne Kemp)

David “Deacon” Jones, the Hall of Fame defensive end credited with terming the word “sack” for how he knocked down quarterbacks, has died.

The Washington Redskins said that Jones died of natural causes at his home in Southern California on Monday night. He was 74.

“Deacon Jones was one of the greatest players in NFL history. Off the field, he was a true giant,” said Redskins general manager Bruce Allen, whose father, George, coached Jones with the Los Angeles Rams. “His passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him. He was a cherished member of the Allen family and I will always consider him my big brother.”

Because sacks didn’t become an official statistic until 1982, Jones’ total is uncertain. His impact as a premier pass rusher and team leader is not.

“Even with his fellow Hall of Famers, Deacon Jones held a special status. He was an icon among the icons,” commissioner Roger Goodell tweeted Tuesday. “He is warmly regarded by his peers not only as one of the greatest players in history but also for his influence & sense of humor.”

Jones was the leader of the Rams’ Fearsome Foursome unit from 1961-71 and then played for San Diego for two seasons before finishing his career with the Redskins in 1974. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980 and made the league’s 75th anniversary all-time squad.

“Deacon Jones has been the most inspirational person in my football career,” said former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood.

Jones made the Pro Bowl every year from 1964-70 and played in eight overall. He combined with fellow Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy on a defensive line that at times was unblockable.

Olsen died in March 2010 at age 69 and Lundy died in February 2007 at 71. Grier, who is 80, is the only surviving member of the Fearsome Foursome. George Allen, who coached the Fearsome Foursome, called Jones the “greatest defensive end of modern football.”

The Allen family had Jones present George Allen for his Hall of Fame induction in 2002.

“Deacon Jones was one of the rare players who changed the way the game was played,” Rams executive vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff said in a statement.

“In this day and age, the term ‘great’ is often overused, but it only begins to describe Deacon Jones as a player and person. His combination of God-given talent and relentless effort made him one of the greatest players to ever put on an NFL uniform. His spirit, laughter and gentle nature off the field made him a friend to all. Deacon was a legend in every sense of the word, and he’ll truly be missed by the Rams, our fans and the NFL community. Our prayers are with Deacon’s wife Elizabeth on this sad day.”

The Rams’ stats show Jones with 159.5 sacks for them and 173½ for his career — all unofficial, of course. Jones also was one of the most durable players, missing just five games in his 14 pro seasons.

A 14th-round draft pick in 1961 out of Mississippi Valley State, which later produced Jerry Rice, Jones was the first defensive lineman with 100 solo tackles, reaching that mark in 1967.

“The thing we’ve got to remember being players in this era is to really respect the game `back when,’ because those guys could really play,” said Chris Long of the Rams, whose father, Howie, also is in the Hall of Fame. “Deacon Jones is a perfect example.

This whole league and everybody in this game should honor the past and the players who played in that era. Those guys paved the way for us.”

Jones also had several small acting roles both during and after his playing career. He was a guest star on a handful of television shows – including episodes of “Bewitched,” “The Brady Bunch” and “The Odd Couple” – and appeared in the 1978 Warren Beatty film “Heaven Can Wait.”

Most recently, Jones was the CEO of his own foundation, which he began in 1997. He also made several trips to visit troops on active duty in the Middle East.